


A Kingdom and This

by donutdistress



Category: Captive Prince - C. S. Pacat
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Light Angst, M/M, Mild Hurt/Comfort, No Smut, Scars, They get Naked, Wedding Fluff, damen is a dork in love, its mostly just laurent and damen, mention of canon character death, thats it really
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-25
Updated: 2019-05-25
Packaged: 2020-03-17 03:57:17
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,072
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18957394
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/donutdistress/pseuds/donutdistress
Summary: Damen and Laurent finally get married but on their wedding night, Laurent begins to feel guilty about giving him all those scars.





	A Kingdom and This

Laurent and Damianos hadn’t spent much time alone together since returning to Akielos. Most of it was with council members or the public. Although Laurent had softened throughout their time together, he was still as rigid as ever in public. Even at their wedding, his displays of affection were only done as necessary for the ceremony. It was a mess of Veretian and Akielon tradition and was hell to organise. Laurent wasn’t fussed by the customs they would include, as long as it didn’t involve being nude and covered in oil outside of their bedroom. It pleased Damen that he was so open to merging their cultures. He was excited to rule beside him. He’d already seen the way he behaved under the Regent’s stifling grip, now he was free to flourish as the king he was meant to be.

They hadn’t seen each other the night before, as was Veretian custom. Damen wore a chiton made of particularly nice linen with his father’s pin on his shoulder. Nik had helped him shave and dress. Auguste or Aleron would have helped Laurent with his own preparations but as they were not there, other servants had come to attend him. Days like this were supposed to be a whole family affair and it hurt to have Damen’s family's deaths so conscious on his mind on a day like today. He was finally able to officiate his love for Laurent, to declare to the whole of the world that they were in love. He tried to keep his mind on that instead

Nik wasn’t entirely clueless, however. After years of knowing Damianos, he could tell when something was bothering his king. Being nervous was to be expected but the silence between them seemed to contain more than just pre-wedding nerves. Nik wasn’t entirely certain of the cause and saying the wrong thing would just make everything worse. He opened his mouth to say something as he pinned Damen’s chiton to his shoulder.

“Theomedes would be proud of you.” It was a simple sentence that could be applied to anything and he knew Damen would appreciate it. What he didn’t expect was for Damen to begin crying. Nevertheless, Nik pulled him into a hug. Despite the tears, it was exactly what he needed to hear. They stood there like that for a few moments while Damen tried to compose himself again. It was just fortunate they weren’t expected to paint themselves like veretian pets for this occasion or it would have been running all down his face. All it took was a cloth with cool water on it to make Damen look a bit more presentable, his eyes looking a little less puffy after having the water dabbed on them. No doubt he was going to cry again during the ceremony anyway, however.

It was arranged that the Kings Meet would be the place of their wedding, a neutral place for everyone to attend. The guests were already seated, Nikandros up the front along with Torveld and Erasmus and many others that were the closest thing either of the two had to family. All that was left was the most important people of all: Damen and Laurent.

Laurent looked just as uptight as ever, laced to the nines but he was beautiful. Damen could see himself taking his time to undo all of them. By now he was experienced enough that he could take them off as quickly as Laurent could, admittedly with far less grace, but there would be no need to rush tonight. They would have the rest of their lives ahead of them without the threat of the Regent or Kastor hanging over their heads. For now, he was quite happy just admiring Laurent’s beautiful face, speckled in gold with his hair decorated with jewels. He was never overdone but today was clearly an important day if he was breaking out these gaudy traditions without much fuss. No matter he was or was not wearing, Laurent looked beautiful.  

Today, however, he was more of a nymph than ever. There was a veil covering his face but there was no mistaking those bright blue eyes and golden hair beneath. A circlet kept the netting in place, a precious jewel resting against his forehead while gold twirled around the rest of his head. His clothing was soft white linen; laces, frills and jewels placed strategically in swirling patterns resembling the circlet. His sleeves were shorter than normal, ending just above the elbow. This would have been more skin than any of their guests would have seen before but everyone would see why. The gold cuff that matched the one on Damen’s wrist was on full display. It glinted in the sunlight shining through the windows, standing out against his pale skin and white linen but accentuated by the gold accessories he wore. Damen couldn’t see himself marrying anyone else in this moment. Under that veil was the slippery snake he’d managed to fall in love with and even more surprisingly, had fallen in love with him too.

They walked down the aisle together, between the rows of their guests. Their gold cuffs clinking against each other as Damen tentatively reached out for Laurent’s hand. He knew his husband-to-be was not one for public displays of affection but considering they would have to kiss in front of everyone too, holding hands wasn’t that big of a step. To his surprise, he found Laurent’s hand in his own was sweaty with nerves. It was endearing that the ceremony got to him like this; Damen himself wasn’t any better either.

They stood on the slightly raised dais along with the priest. They turned to each other, now holding both of each other's hands. The priest ran through vows and traditions in both Akielon and Veretian. Finally, Damen was allowed to unveil his blushing groom. Beneath the veil, Laurent’s eyes, lips and cheeks were painted lightly. Like this, he looked even more kissable than usual. His normal pout was now turned into that cheeky smile he found himself falling in love with all over again. Their lips met, Laurent taking charge and placing his hand on his cheek. Damen made sure to convey all his love and excitement while Laurent did so too in his own unique way. The littlest signs of affection were always the biggest for Laurent, particularly in front of others. He was sure later tonight he’d get his fill of loving. The guests clapped, someone whistled. Finally, they parted and Damen was sure he was grinning like an idiot.  

They were now officially married. 

* * *

Behind them, the sun was setting. The clouds made up of pinks and oranges as the sea burned out the sun. On the other side of the palace, twilight was starting. A crescent moon surrounded by twinkling stars was rising. The tables were laid out with all kinds of meat cooked in all kinds of ways. Wine was flowing like water and the music was never-ending. Damen and Laurent sat together at the head of the table, wearing matching laurel wreath’s now. Laurent still has bits of lavender stuck to him from when they left the Kings Meet. Damen didn’t have to worry about it getting caught on his own clothing as there wasn’t much clothing there.

Surprisingly, Laurent had been happy to drink the wine without much care and talked to the guests around them on the table. He seemed a little too eager to talk to Nik for Damen’s liking, refilling his cup for him in order to loosen his lips some more. He was trying to find out any kind of juicy stories he could, no doubt to humiliate him with them later. Nevertheless, Damen was glad they were getting along. It was kind of necessary the two most important people in his life get along.  

Damen was happy to sit back and enjoy the hum of all his friends gathered in one place. Of course, he did the kingly thing and talked to all of his guests, eyes always flicking back to his husband. It made him feel all fuzzy inside to call him that: his husband. No one could blame him being so distracted, everyone could agree Laurent was easy on the eyes but no one would be caught dead eyeing his Laurent up anymore.  

The wine continued to flow and eventually, Damen and most of the Akeilon guests were singing along with the lute. Only happy songs on this occasion, songs of victory and love. Laurent was with Torveld and Erasmus now, happy to talk about what had happened in their lives since the last time they had met. It was clear that Erasmus was a little bit enamoured with just how pretty Laurent looked. Torveld would no doubt end up buying him more jewels on the way home to make sure he felt just as beautiful.

Eventually, Damen was getting impatient. The good mood and alcohol were just the right combination to get his mind wandering. It was tradition in both Vere and Akeilos to consummate the marriage and Damen was certainly not planning on skipping that part, not with Laurent looking as beautiful as he did now. The moon was high in the sky now, fires having been lit in lanterns and candles to keep to party going. Damen thought by now it was about time they retire to their room. It only took one lingering look in Laurent’s direction for him to get the message too.

* * *

Damen was sat down on the edge of their bed, just watching Laurent. He was stood in front of him, undoing his own laces. Damen knew he was purposefully taking his time. He was deft at getting them undone, having grown up in the complicated laces. By now they should already have been both naked and Laurent should be screaming for him. Clearly, his husband had other ideas and wanted to make the most of their first time together as amazing as possible; not that it could be anything less than that no matter how slowly they took it.

Lace by lace, Laurent’s body was slowly revealed to him. The marble and navy sky a perfect backdrop to the sensual way his fingers ran over his own skin. Damen wished he could be the one to run his hands over that body but there was some silent communication between them that he wasn’t allowed to touch just yet. Scars were uncovered from their most recent battle, faded now into mostly silver streaks against his skin. Bruises had faded, wounds had healed and flesh wasn’t so tender anymore. Somehow, Damen was still afraid of hurting him. Afraid that Laurent would put that wall up between them again. After everything they’d been through, he finally had his kingdom and this. He didn’t want to show Laurent anything but love.

His pants were last to come off, he bent over to slide them down the whole way. Damen’s mouth was dry as he stared. Then Laurent turned to him, took a few steps forward and smirked. “Eager are we, lover?” It was hard to deny Laurent’s striptease didn’t do anything for him, especially not when the loose cloth of his chiton didn’t help to hide anything.  

“Eager for you, husband.” Damen revelled in the blush that spread across the other’s cheeks. It was pleasing to know that he could turn him on just as much as he could. He was also eager to get out of his clothes, so he reached up for the pin at his shoulder only to be swatted away by Laurent.  

“Let me.” He stepped in between Damen’s legs and took his time undoing the pin. He placed it gently onto the set of drawers beside the bed. Damen was thankful he took care of it the way he did. Next to come off was the tie around his waist, which Laurent was less careful with, adding it to the pile of the other shed clothing. His hand then returned to his now bare shoulder, pushing him back onto the bed. Damen didn’t protest, moving back to lay down on the bed properly. Laurent joined him, knees either side of his thighs before he leant in close to kiss him. It was slow and intimate, similar to the kiss they shared during the ceremony but a little more intimate. Laurent was unafraid without an audience now, willing to show Damen himself without anything to hide behind, whether that be clothes or metaphorical walls.

Damen loved to seem him so unabashed like this, unafraid to wallow in the pleasure Damen was going to give him. For now, though, he was also quite happy to lay back and see what Laurent had in store for him. No doubt he had some kind of plan to take him apart bit by bit and Damen was more than happy to let it happen. Laurent let his hands wander, always appreciative of Damen’s body. He’d kept up with his training as soon as the doctor gave him the okay, well, maybe a little bit before then. Laurence was eager to move things along, as he usually was but Damen wanted to relish in just this for a moment; Laurent naked above him, kissing him with loving passion, those slender hips pressed up against his own. Okay, maybe he really was just as desperate as Laurent.

Finally, Damen felt Laurence pulling away from his lips, instead trailing kisses down his jawline to his neck. There was no way anyone would think he was frigid now, not from the way he was sure bruises were blossoming on his neck. He liked the idea of people seeing them and knowing Laurent not only owns his heart but his body as well.  

His lips grazed the raised scar tissue that marred his skin there. Scars left from the whipping Laurent had given him before they become lovers. They were faint around his shoulders, mostly concentrated on his back but a couple of the lashes had missed their mark and made contact with his shoulder instead. By now, Damen had gotten used to them. The stinging had long gone, as had some of the sensation. Laurent had mostly forgotten too, or at least he never brought it up. This time, his sweet kisses stopped and he pulled away. His pure blue eyes looked glassy in the moonlight now and Damen immediately reached a hand to caress his cheeks.

“Damianos.” He mumbled as he leant into his touch. “I...” He trailed off and had to take a deep breath before speaking again. “On your back.” It appeared as an order but Damen knew he was just keeping his words short so his voice wouldn’t waver. He wanted to just cuddle up with him more than anything right now, have Laurent bury his face into his neck and tell him all about how much he loved him until they both fell asleep. But, if it was more comforting to Laurent that he lay on his back, he would do that for him.

Laurent continued to straddle him and he reached over to the drawer, taking out a pot of something. He listened as Laurent unscrewed the top, smeared some on his hands and put the lid back on. His hands finally made contact with his back, smoothing over the scars there. Damen finally understood now. He supposed this was how Laurent wanted to apologise to him for what he did. Damen understood that things were different at that time, that he would have never done that had he known what they would become. Still, it was nice to feel his hands running along his back, not only rubbing in the ointment into his scars but it helped to release the tension in his muscles as well.

It was easy to melt into Laurent’s surprisingly deft hands; until he heard the whimpering. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d seen Laurent cry, if at all. He went to roll onto his back again, ready to pull Laurent in for a comforting cuddle. A firm hand kept him from doing so, keeping him stuck on his stomach. “Please, just let me do this for you.” The almost pleading tone of his voice scared Damen just a little, it was rare for Laurent to be so vulnerable. He supposed maybe he didn’t want Damen to see his face, probably wet with tears and eyes red and puffy. As much as it hurt not to comfort him, Damen staid on his stomach.  

Laurent’s hands resumed rubbing his back, only stopping to dip his fingers back into the jar of ointment. Time seemed to pass differently and Damen wasn’t sure how long they’d staid like this. Part of him was worried for his husband while the other part revelled in the firm touch of his hands. Again, Damen was at a loss for words but he felt it was important to share something with Laurent, so they could be vulnerable together.

“My father, I think he would have approved of you.” Damen was surprised about how shaky his own voice was. The words didn’t really feel right in his mouth either. It wasn’t that they weren’t true, but it just wasn’t really what he wanted to say. How could he convey to Laurent everything he felt for him? How happy he made him feel, how much he’s felt he’s changed for the better thanks to him. The scars made him into the person he is, without them, they never would have their kingdom and this.  

Damen reached back and took Laurent’s hand in his own. By the sound of the sharp inhale of breath behind him, he seemed taken aback by the action. Damen could feel the back of it was wet, probably from wiping away tears. “I love you.” Love. The only one word that could possibly come close to describing how he felt knowing that Laurent was now a permanent fixture in his life.

“I... I love you too.” His voice was still shaky but he could hear that tiny smile of his in his voice. Damen rolled over and wasn’t stopped this time. He pulled Laurent into his chest and he nuzzled into his neck. Things were going to be okay. In time, the scars would heal. As long as they had each other, things would be okay.

**Author's Note:**

> Thenk u to my lovely boyfriend who proofread this for me even if he has no idea about the fandom :)  
> Comments and kudos are always appreciated.  
> Feel free to follow [my (mostly inactive) tumblr](https://donutdistress.tumblr.com/) for more updates and stuff.


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